A Time For: Childhood
by Alex Mcpherson
Summary: Part 1/8. Harry Potter's a normal boy. Except for one thing. He’s a wizard, but he doesn’t know it. Or does he? Does he truly not know about his abilities? Before Hogwarts he finds himself a friend and together they discover things about themselves.C8n9up
1. Chapter 1

**Harry Potter and the Time for Childhood**

**Prologue / Chapter 1  
**

_1st November, 1981_  
Mr Vernon Dursley of Number 4 Privet Drive, Little Whinging Surrey, was a normal man, with a normal family, normal home, normal job… With nothing un-normal about any aspect of him – relations, habits and so on. No, if there were anything un-normal, he would not be related to it in any way shape or form.

Or so he thought.

This day, the day after Halloween, is a normal day for Mr Vernon Dursley. He drives his normal car along his normal route to his normal place of work to do his normal job. Normally, he never notices un-normal things as he drives, nor the un-normalness around him at his workplace, around his workplace and so on. But today, Today he would finally notice.

It was as he was entering the small town that his workplace resided, that he noticed things.

First, people in strange clothing, of many ages, from Teens to OAPs, hanging around, clearly celebrating something, several holding wooden sticks which would light up, bringing him to think of silly un-normal inventions with no purpose beyond being un-normal, making wooden sticks into torches. Wooden Torches! He would be heard ranting about on occasion that day.

Secondly, one such person, no younger then his grandparents who had already kicked the bucket, so to speak, with a long grey beard that was split into a fork at the end and held inside the man's pockets so as, clearly, not to trip himself up by getting under his feet; had grabbed Vernon's normal arms and sung some strange lyrics which didn't make sense, and joyously proclaiming that 'mugs should be celebating today for you-know-who is gone!'. Vernon wondered if the man had meant to say celebrating, but wasn't sure since he had also said 'mugs' or somesuch un-normal nonsense. Things only escalated from there, eventually ending with a police man trying to arrest the immensely happy OAP for disturbing the peace.

As the day wore on, Vernon began hearing names. Or rather, a name. Harry, and Potter. This put him into panic overdrive.

For Mr Vernon Dursley has a secret. A secret he loathes to hold, but a secret he doesn't want to share with anyone. A secret that his wife, Petunia Evans Dursley, is in on. Infact, it originated with his wife.

The Secret? Petunia's sister, is a witch. Oh, on occasion he has heard kids say, how they'd love to have abilities, like Wizards and Witches, and the like, but he never paid much attention to those conversations after hearing that. Even when he was a kid and didn't even know Wizards and Witches actually existed. He just views it all as Un-natural, and worse, Un-normal.

If asked, he will refute the knowledge and call the questioner such despicable insults as un-natural and stuff. Words and phrases no sane adult would actually use to insult people, but to Vernon Dursley, they were the worst insults to call someone, and he loved to use them.

When he got home, he didn't want to interrupt his lovely normal wife with his cutely normal baby son, to ask what her sister's new kid was called. No, he'll just sit and watch the news, as he normally does.

That night, his panic was even worse after the news said much things he knew to at least be related to the un-normal world. He went to bed, wondering if tomorrow would be just as un-normal.

But today was the end of the normality of Vernon Dursley's life, for, just outside his window, on the street, was a wizard planning to completely upturn the Dursleys home, with the introduction of a simple, tiny bundle of a baby.

* * *

A very old man with a very long white beard appeared on the street. And not 5 minutes later, the street lamps all along the short street were suddenly dark. 

As he walked to the 2nd house to his right, he noted a small tabby cat with strange markings around its eyes, watching him from the lawn of the house.

'I should have known you'd be here… Professor McGonagall.' He said to the cat. Seconds later, A woman stood before him, giving him the infamous 'death glare' that only women seem to be able to do. But to the old man, it had no effect.

'Albus, how did you know it was me?' She asked. She looked distinctly ruffled, her red hair while drawn into a tight bun, had several strands straying. She was wearing small half-moon glasses, peering over them at him rather severely, as if promising Death.

'My dear Minerva, I have never seen a cat sit so stiffly as you.' He said, as if it was an obvious thing, seemingly unaware that her death glare just got worse.

After a moment, she shuffled around, rubbing her hands together to generate some warmth, and bit back, 'You'd be stiff if _you'd_ been sitting on a brick wall _all day_', conveniently forgetting she had been sat on a lawn, not a brick wall.

'All day? When you could have been celebrating? I must have seen several parties at headquarters before heading here. Why, the biggest was Young Lupin's until he found out the circumstances.'

As he had spoke, Minerva sniffed angrily, but it wasn't until Albus had said 'until he found out the circumstances' that she stiffened and asked, as if fearing the truth that the answer to her question would contain, 'So they are…'

'Yes.' He responded, cutting off her reply.

'I can't believe it.'

'Neither could I. They were supposed to be safe. The only way Voldemort could have found them…' Albus stopped upon seeing her reaction to the name Voldemort. 'Minerva, it's just a name.' He seemed to be unconcerned about that they were discussing the loss of 2 fine magicians, whom he had once admitted to a friend of his in private that they were his favourite students and subsequent friends.

Minerva ignored him about the name thing, but just said, 'There are rumours going around. About what stopped _him._ Especially since you are the only person he ever feared.'

'Minerva, you flatter me. Voldemort had powers I never had.'

'Only because you're too… Noble, to use them.'

'You're lucky it's dark, I haven't blushed this much since Madame Pomfrey and Professor Sprout told me they liked my new earmuffs.' He quipped, hoping to lighten the situation.

Minerva shot him a dark look, and said, 'The rumours. Everyone's saying that…' She took a deep breath, 'is that last night, _he_ turned up in Godric's Hollow. He went to find the Potters. That he went to find Lily and James…' she sniffed, upset that that part of the rumour was true, 'and killed them. But when he tried to kill little Harry, he couldn't and his power broke somehow, killing himself.'

Seeing her finished for the moment, he said, 'We can only guess, we may never know.'

A moment later, he looked at his watch, and said, 'Rubeus is late. I suppose it was he who told you I'd be here?'

'Yes, and I don't suppose you'll tell me why we're here, of all places?'

'I've come to place Harry with his Aunt and Uncle, They're the only family he has left now.'

'You don't mean… you _can't_ mean the people who live _here_?' Minerva cried, shocked and outraged at the nerve of the man in front of her, pointing at the house whose drive they were standing on. 'Dumbledore, you can't!' she exclaimed.

'Shh, Minerva, there is no need to be so loud, I am only stood right here.' He said, trying to quiet her down.

Instead of being quiet, she waved a stick of wood around them, then proceeded to continue quite louder, 'I've been watching them all day. You couldn't find 2 people who are less like us. They've got this son, who I saw kicking his mother all the way up the street, screaming for sweets. Harry Potter come and live here, absolutely outrageous, Unthinkable!'

'Precisely why here.'

'Albus! He'll be famous!' she continued on, ignoring Albus' response. 'A Legend! I wouldn't be surprised if today was known as Harry Potter Day in the future! Every child in our world will know his name!'

Albus butted into her rant and proclaimed, 'And if he were to be placed with a magical family, he will grow up to know fame, adoration. Famous for something he won't even remember. It will be enough to turn any boy's head. This is why he will be better off here.'

'Where he'll be abused. I have heard stories about Lily's sister, Albus. She hated her sister and magic.' Minerva pointed out.

'I already plan to have someone watch over him, someone from our world. She will be able to curb any abuse before it occurs. But I do hope he would have a good childhood, free of being popular in the manner I do not wish upon any child. His first 10 years is the time for childhood, not for being adored by the masses, doted on more then any child should be.'

Minerva calmed down, and after a moment, agreed, 'Its… for the best. I suppose.' Then, regaining her severe look, she stated, more then asked, 'You _will _put a guard to watch him. Make sure they do not treat him as something less then human.'

Albus nodded, and he looked at his watch again. 'Rubeus is not normally this late…' But as the words were out of his mouth, a rumble from the sky alerted him to a large mass approaching.

'You think it, _wise_, to trust Rubeus with someone as important as Harry?' she asked.

'I trust him with my life, so of course, I trust him with Harry.'

After that, Minerva noticed the rumbling noise and looked at the approaching mass. As it neared, the moonlight was enough, and the mass near enough, to illuminate a man sat atop a small motorcycle. But as it neared, and landed, it became obvious that it was not the motorcycle that was small, but the man that was big. Very big. And slung around his shoulder and hip, was a small bundle.

Pulling to a stop, the man turned the engine off and stood up, lazily lifting his leg over the bike, and walking over slowly to the 2 waiting witch and wizard.

As he neared, he whispered, 'Bes' be quiet now, lil' fella's fas'sleep.'

'Rubeus, at last. And, pray tell, where did you get that motorbike? It looks familiar.'

'Bur'ed it, P'fessor Dumbledore sir.' Rubeus whispered in reply. 'Yun' Sirius Bla' len' it me. I'ah, got him, sir.'

'No problems, were there?'

'No sir. House almost destroyed, bu' I go' him out right before the muggles star'ed swarmin' round. He fell 'sleep as we were flyin' o'er Bristol.'

Rubeus passed the bundle to Albus, and Minerva promptly looked into the bundle to see, just visible, the baby boy fast asleep. Under a tuft of raven-black hair covering his forehead, they could see a curiously shaped scar, like a bolt of lightning.

'Is that where…?'

'Yes. And before you ask, No can't do anything about it. Even if I could, I wouldn't. Scars can come in handy. My own scars on my left leg and right upper arm are terribly useful. Why the one just above my knee is a perfect map of the London underground. I daresay, Harry's will be even more useful in the years to come.

As he placed the bundle on the doorstep, Rubeus wept, occasionally making the sound like that of a wounded dog.

'Shh, you'll wake the muggles!' Minerva said prompting Albus to shake his head, smiling as if in on a joke.

'You put up that privacy spell, remember?' he reminded her calmly, causing the severe woman to sigh in defeat, barely holding her own tears at bay.

As the 3 stepped away from the house, back to the motorbike, Albus said, 'well… we're no more business here now. We may as well go join the celebrations.'

Minerva shook her head and replied, 'I have 5th year homework to mark.'

Rubeus also added, 'An' the thes'rals need feedin' ton'eye't.'

Albus nodded, and curtly responded, 'then I bid you good night. See you tomorrow afternoon. Kindly ask Madame Pomfrey for some hangover potion for me, will you, Minerva my dear?'

'Oh, get it yourself tomorrow.' Minerva huffed, before disappearing with a muted crack.

'I' jus' be takin' the bike back ta Hog'arts den, P'fessor Dumbledore sir.' Rubeus said, stepping over the bike and sitting on it as he said so. 'see yer tomor'a, P'fessor.' And with that, Rubeus quickly took off into the night sky.

With a last look at the bundle on the doorstep, Dumbledore too disappeared with a muted crack.

Elsewhere on the street, a man in a shabby cloak shook his head and muttered about adding his own protection.

* * *

_14__th__ December, 1981_  
Marlene looked up from the photo album open on her lap upon hearing her husband arrive home. 

'47 arrests! I swear, if we don't have them all by now, I'll kill the next Death Eater I encounter!' he exclaimed as he sat beside her.

'Shh! Angelina's napping.' She muttered, then, as an after thought, added, 'And I'm right next to you. No need to shout.'

'Sorry luv.' He said, sighed and leant back, closing his eyes. 'Stressful day. You know how it is. With the loss of James, Frank and Alice… even with You-know-who gone, still crazy at the office and in the field, trying to get every last one of them. Bloody hard too, most of 'em keep claiming Imperius. S'only when we get some Veritaserum into 'em that we can sort through them.'

'I take it that potion is in shortage then.'

'Yeh, and Dumbledore's potions master says he doesn't have any, nor the ingredients to brew it. Bloody git.'

Marlene just rubbed his leg, and said, 'Well, At least we don't have to hide anymore. Was too close last time.'

'Yup. Near enough the entire office thought we were dead until I walked in last month.'

'Still feeling weak?'

'Yeh, just a bit. Damn it, I hate having such slow recharge rate.'

'But you do have large reserves, so it's not like you'd notice.'

'We both depleted ours, remember?'

'… Good point.'

They both sighed, and just sat there, together, in silence for a few minutes, until…

'Who's turn is it on nappy duty?' he asked.

Marlene just tapped him lightly, mock-hitting him, and said, 'yours, since you're going to joke about it Daniel.'

Daniel stood up, eyes wide open, and fell to his knees in front of her, 'please… anything but that…'

'Oh shove it and change her, will you?'

Daniel stood back up, then grunted and rubbed his knees while limping slightly to the baby's room.

Just as she heard Angelina stop crying, 3 men in black robes, wearing white masks, burst through the front door. The last Marlene saw before the black, was a green flash of light.

* * *

Alastor Moody looked at the dead bodies of his protégé and his wife, then at the 3 tied-up unconscious men in black cloaks wearing white masks, and gave all 3 a good kick to the ribs, satisfied to hear the bones snapping. 

'Who've we got?' his boss asked.

'Travers, and 2 I aint' see before, Madame Bones.' He replied, his voice more like a growl.

Suddenly, they both heard crying.

'That sounds' like a baby…' Madame Bones said. Alastor went through the house, and found the baby's room. Inside, was a baby's crib. And in the crib, was a child of around 1, 2 years old, stood looking at them, her cries having died down the moment she saw them. 'I didn't know they had a child…' Madame Bones muttered, as she moved to pick up the baby, and rock her back to sleep in her arms.

'None of us did. Musta kept it secret. Damn if I know how they kept it secret so long. She must be about 16 months old.' Moody gruffly replied.

'So many orphans… Already the orphanages are a bit full…'

Moody got an idea, and said, 'I know some foster carers in surrey. Muggles, but, I know 'em, Parents of my last Protégé. Good people. They might' take her in.'

Madame Bones looked at him, and she nodded. 'We'll need to keep her existence secret from most everyone. Merlin knows why Daniel and Marlene kept her secret even after _he_ got zapped.'

'Don' worry, I know a few guys to get the records put were they need to be put. Jus' us 2 will know who she really is.'

'Okay. Names?'

Moody smiled, which, considering his face, looked quite horrific, and said, 'whatever her real name is, keep it that way. No one besides us will know who her parents are, alright?'

'Sure… fine… here, you take her now. I'll cover with the head.'

Moody took the baby, who had fallen asleep, and apparated away with her to a place in Surrey.

He quickly cast a spell, and got her name, Angelina McKinnon. He then promptly took her down the road and up a path to a large-ish house, knocked, and left her with the kindly woman who opened the door. Leaving her with little more then the baby's name, he left and disappeared from sight into the night.


	2. Chapter 2

**Harry Potter and the Time for Childhood**

**Chapter ****2**

_4__th__ September, 85_  
Harry hated life in Surrey. But it was all he knew. As he once more, ran to get away from his cousin, an easy task considering his cousins' size, he once more contemplated just running away to live on the streets. And he once more rejected the idea. He didn't like the idea of sleeping behind trash cans, not hat sleeping in a cupboard with spiders was any better.

He dove over a fence, landing head first and moving into a roll along the ground, ignoring the tearing sound his pants had just made where it had snagged the fence. _Just 2 fences to go, and home-free._ He thought to himself. He would need to see where had been torn again before going to school, he knew.

_1 more__… there._ He looked behind him, and there was no sign of Dudley or his 2 friends. He wiped sweat from his forehead, revealing a lightning bolt scar that identified him to the entire world as a unique individual. He walked on from there, heading for the nearby Foster home where he often snitched some cotton thread to repair whatever damage happened to his clothing each time he ran. Since school had started just an hour ago, and he knew the building's layout and were to walk to not make sound since long before the foster carer had moved in just last year, Harry knew he wouldn't get caught. He never was.

Again he entered via the back door. Again, he avoided the few remaining people in the house, and again he snitched cotton thread from a cupboard in the kitchen. And again, he got out of the house unseen, unnoticed, cotton thread and needle in his pant pocket.

He hid himself away in an alley that no one ever came down, and began to sow his pants back together. Tiredly, he complained about the large tear along the side of his pants. He took them off and less then 10 minutes later, they were back on him fixed.

He got into school at the start of break, and, as per usual, none of the teachers made a comment. They once did, to the Dursleys, and the next day saw he had a fresh bruise, so they had learned not to say anything about his lateness.

As he got into his classroom, he pulled his bag from his hiding spot and pulled out his books, before putting the bag back away. Only his teacher knew why he did this.

He went over to the teachers' desk, found a few sheets of paper covered in notes very quickly, and began working on whatever the sheets had noted on them. Notes of what he had missed this morning.

He barely noticed when the class came back in from break. He barely even noticed a girl sit next to him, until she nudged him. He looked up, and wondered, _who__ the heck is this? New girl?_ Then, he realised that she was sat at his table. No one ever sat at his table. He surreptitiously looked around and noted that a few of his class mates – not really friends, but what else could he call them? – were looking at her as if she was an alien, just because she sat next to 'The Freak' as they often called him.

'Err… hi.' Harry eloquently greeted her. He took in her features. Black hair like his own except longer and hazel eyes that seemed to bore through him. He couldn't put a finger on it, but there was something about this girl.

'Hello. I didn't see you this morning… Name's Angelina.' She said, hand held out.

Overcoming his awkwardness, he shook her hand, noting in the back of his mind that he felt an electric shock at the touch, and replied, 'Harry. And, I don't think you'll ever see me morning class.'

She frowned, but had no chance to ask why as the lesson started in earnest.

'Alright class, today we're going to learn all about the …'

* * *

Angelina looked around, wondering why people were staring at her. Curiously, that morning when she sat in the seat next to her, the teacher said that it was someone else's, but to sit in the next one over, so she did. She could hardly concentrate on what was being taught for the stares. During break, everyone pretty much ignored her, beyond the stares. She saw that, during the morning lesson, her teacher had been taking notes and had put them somewhere on his desk before leaving with their class, but she didn't have the chance to ask him what that was about as he just escorted them to the playground before leaving – presumably for the staff room. 

It wasn't until the end of break, and the return to class, that she met the kid whose seat she had sat in.

When she sat down in her own chair, she realised what those notes the teacher was doing was for, as this boy had them. It was for this boy who had missed morning lesson. She expected him to be told off for not being there too, but the teacher just smiled slightly, and frowned slightly, when he saw how far into the work Harry was.

Since she knew the teacher wouldn't start for a minute or two, he seemed to be getting the stuff out and began putting books out; she decided to talk to the boy.

'Hi' she said. No response. She nudged him, but no response. She nudged him again, slightly harder, and he looked up in surprise.

'Err… hi.' He eloquently greeted her. He seemed to be staring at her. Just then, she noted the mess of hair on him, and his brilliant green eyes that seemed to bore through her. She couldn't put a finger on it, but there was something about this boy beyond his absence this morning.

'Hello. I didn't see you this morning… Name's Angelina.' She said, holding her hand out. She noted how awkward he seemed to be about having company (upon noticed he had company in the first place) before he seemed to get some resolve and shook her hand.

'Harry. And, I don't think you'll ever see me morning class.' He replied, too sure of the fact to match his statement that he just _thought_ that he wouldn't ever see her morning class.

She was about to ask why when the Teacher began the boring lesson about English.

* * *

By lunch break, the enigma that was Harry was still no where near solved. Angelina had tried to get more talk then just, 'hi' from him while sat across from him at lunch, but he pretty much ignored her. He seemed to be unused to attention, and expected to not get any. 

At least, that's what she thought until lunch break, and in the playground, someone who she heard was named, 'big D' came over to him and tried to bully him.

'No where to run here Freak.'

Upon hearing that, Harry's entire demeanour changed, and she knew one thing was certain about Harry: he's got a hell of a temper.

'Hello, 'Big D' is it now? I thought it was still 'Fat D'… oh well, can't have everything can you?'

'Huh?' 'D' said, before lunging for Harry.

She didn't believe anyone could move so fast, but she saw with her own eyes Harry dodge out of the way of the large boy, grinning as 'Big D' fell over.

'You'll pay for that Freak.'

'Make me.'

'I'll tell mum.'

'You do and I'll turn you into a pig.'

'D' grinned and said, 'they'd kill you if you do.'

Harry shrugged, and said, 'I'd be long gone before they could, if I did that. So, you want to try me? Or wait until those teachers aren't looking?' He added, pointing to the teachers on playground duty who were walking over.

'D' grunted and stalked off, and the teachers headed followed him to talk to him.

Angelina looked at Harry, as he relaxed and seemed exhausted.

'Who's that?' she asked him.

'Him? Oh, just my cousin. Get that all the time at home.'

'You live with you're cousin?'

'Yeh, I hate it.'

'You don't have any friends do you?' she points out, stating rather then asking him.

'Don't get the chance to get any. Dudders scares em off. Likes to punch people he does.'

'But you avoided him…'

'Because I'm used to avoiding him. What about you? Never seen you round here.'

'I would have started here last year when my foster carers moved in just a street over. Why weren't you in morning class?'

'Hm? Oh… well, I've never been in morning class. Duddiekins always chases me, to make sure I don't get there on time. But while he's a slow tubby git, his 2 friends are almost as quick as me. Gotta hop over lotta' fences to get away from them. Teachers are sort of used to it, even though they don't like it. Kind of shocked my teacher last year when I asked her to just do some notes so I can at least do the work that I miss. She thought I was skipping' first lesson for awhile, until it was pointed out that Dudders missed a lot of school too.'

Angelina nodded, then commented, 'you're a bit small for a first year.'

Harry just shrugged, 'Can't exactly grow with no more then a bowl of cereal a day.' At her gasp, he shrugged again and said, 'me body's used to it. Had a right bad tummy ache beginning' last year when I started to have lunch as well, here. So I just get fed here now.'

Angelina's mind was racing, and quickly asked, 'And no one has thought to remove you from that place?!'

Harry sighed, and said, 'Look, I don't like it there. I don't think they're good people. They're horrible, they're nasty and I hate them. But somehow, I'm stuck with them. Even my teacher last year tried to take me in but some weird policemen put me back with my aunt and uncle. Soshul servsis thing wouldn't even do anything. Dunno why.'

'What If you moved in with me? I mean, I'm in a foster home, it's what my carers do, take in people who were in abusive homes or lost family…'

Harry shook his head. 'Bloody policemen will show up again. Besides, I know how they work. I've used that to avoid most abuse I used to get.'

Angelina wasn't happy with that, but she realised, she couldn't do anything to remove him from them. So she swore, she'll help him and be his friend.

'You don't have any friends, at all, right?' she asked.

'Nope.' He said looking around, keeping watch on Dudley and his 2 friends.

'Wrong.' She stated.

He looked at her, and frowned. 'I don't got any.'

'You do. You got me.' She stated.

'You sure? Fat D will bully you like hell. Last time a girl tried to be my friend, her wrists were broken and she had to go to hospital.'

Her eyes widened but she said, 'I don't care. Everyone needs a friend. I'll be yours. And No one wants to be my friend, since I talked to you. So you can be mine.'

Harry just looked at her and she felt like she was being judged, before Harry grinned and held out his hand. 'Harry Potter.'

'Angelina McKinnon. Now lets go be friends' she said, grinning widely.


	3. Chapter 3

**Harry Potter and the Time for Childhood**

**Chapter 3**

_16__th__ October, 85_  
Harry was having the best time of his life. He finally had a friend, and she was sooo like him. The only differences was that she was a girl, had long hair and blue eyes, but despite that she had the same hair as him – messy 'raven-black' hair, and her eyes did seem to have a bit of green to them he noted a month after making friends with her.

She lived in the very foster home that he stole cotton thread from. And since making friends with her, she stopped going to school on a morning, instead waiting for him at her foster home. At first she waited outside until a teacher told her foster carer what she was doing (but saying it's ok, and why) and then she waited inside. And every morning, Harry came in and they stitched up whatever tears were made in his school clothes, before they both set off for school.

Every time, they'd make it just as break started, and so they would have 15 minutes to do an hour's work. Often, thanks to the 2 working together, they had a bit of spare time to talk, surprising their teacher the first time he arrived with the class from break to find the 2 work finished. Their teacher had little to complain about, beyond having to write down what he was teaching in notes for them, which he didn't mind considering the reasons.

What disturbed him slightly, was that she had a similar background to him, her parents died in a car crash too, just over a month after his. But she was a great friend for him.

Just the first week, he caught himself thinking that she was right about everyone needing a friend. He never realised just how down he felt before, but it was as her foster carer had said to him when mending his pants the first time, 'everyone needs to feel the ups to know the downs.'

It wasn't until the 16th that things got _really_ interesting.

It was a day like others, at first. Morning Dudley-run, mend the pants which the Foster carer nicely replaced for him with newer ones that, with a bit of work, were made to just look like the old pair, which happened only the week before, spending that break time catching up on schoolwork and the gossip of the foster home, lunch time avoiding Dudley and his gang. It wasn't until afternoon of that day that things began to take a turn for the worse.

'Then there's Fred, right joker he is. Red hair, visits with his mum every couple of weeks. Leaves quite a few sweets around for us and does great pranks. Hard to miss, just like George, but easier to shock into silence. George is the one who is first to recover from shocks.'

'Wasn't he the one that…'

'That turned Melissa's hair blue? Yeh.'

'So the others are…'

'Right. So they're the pranking twins. I heard their birthday is April Fools Day… then their younger brother, our age, Ron.'

'Hard to imagine having 5 brothers.' Harry comments.

'I know. But considering what they were like last visit, I guess their home is like this place, but everyone's related. Not much money when split between each other. Ron complains a lot so I'd watch for him next time they visit.'

'Any others, or is that the lot?'

'There a girl, gineva or something, but they just call her Gin, or Ginny.'

'Isn't gin a drink?'

Angelina smirks. 'That's what George asked Madame Fisher 4 months ago.'

'That must have gone down good.'

'Yeh… his mum just hit him upside the head, and told to stop asking strange questions. They're strange though, I caught Ron looking at the telephone, calling it 'wellytone' once.'

'And why do they visit again?'

'Madame Fisher is apparently related to them, and gets some stuff for her cooking.'

'oh.'

Harry and Angelina were sat on a wall, not far from her foster home, talking about all the visitors they get during the weekends. They had talked about a large family of red-heads visiting, and just finished when they noticed a gang of kids, led by 'Fat D' waltz up the road as if they owned it, causing cars to swerve and honk their horns at the kids shouting that they should be in bed and stuff.

'Hello, Fat-D' Angelina greeted with a smile. 'Wondering where the nearest Mackie-D's is? Oh, that's right, you know where they all are… so what could you be coming to us for then? Burga King?'

Dudley swaggered, seeming to ignore them, until they were up close before he started. Harry, having noticed the signs, had prepared himself, but wasn't prepared for the fact that he was _not_ the target this time.

'Angelina!' he shouted, before pushing Dudley into the road, causing a car to stop completely, and the driver to get out, wearing profanely at the group of them.

Dudley just got up, and went for Angelina again only for her to punch him and do something that confused all 3 of them for a second… on the moment of contact, the 3 disappeared from that street, and reappeared in a park. Harry pulled Angelina back before she fell into the pond they had appeared at the edge of… But he saw that Dudley had no such luck, and fell right in.

They laughed their heads of, not caring that Dudley was struggling to stay afloat, slowly approaching the edge.

Harry shrugged, recognised were they where and pulled Angelina away and the 2 ran away, laughing merrily along the way.

As they got into her room in the foster home, Harry finally asked, 'How did you do that?' before falling to the floor in more fits of laughter.

Angelina however, was not laughing, but frowning, and said, 'I don't know.'

Harry stopped laughing to catch his breath, and saw her expression. 'What is it?'

She paused, then said, 'That's happened before.'

'What has? A bully falling in a pond when you punched him?'

'No. I mean the, teleporting or whatever just happened.'

Harry frowned, before realising what it was. 'Hm… strange, that didn't cross my mind until now.'

Angelina looked at him oddly, before shrugging and asking, 'You ever do strange things?'

'Err… Probably. Let me think.' Harry sat down, and got the same expression she had been wearing for the last 5 minutes.

'Well?' she asked after he was silent for a bit.

'Hmm? Well… there was a time when my aunt tried to put a really big jumper on me, but it was really ugly and I didn't want to wear it. As she tried to put it on me, it shrank. Eventually, it was a size that suggested it was for someone half my age at the time. Like, 1 year old baby.'

'Anything else?'

'Yeh… She keeps trying to cut my hair, but every time it just grows back by the next day. She stopped that this year, but… still.'

'Strange, don't you think?'

'Yep, now that you mention it. What about you?' he asks.

She sits for a minute, before replying, 'well, I've done that teleporting thing twice before, on my own the first time, with someone else the second time. Felt really tired and slept after each, but now I just feel tired enough to fall asleep when I should tonight.'

'And…?'

'well, there's… it's nothing.'

'Come on, tell me? Plllleaaase?'

'It's embarrassing.'

'You know everything about me that I myself know.'

'Okay… Well, one time, a kid in high school, came back one night drunk.'

'Drunk?'

'You don't know what drunk is?'

'"I must not ask questions." One of the Dursleys' rules for me.'

'… Well, it's were you drink beer, and after a lot, you get,, well drunk.'

'Oh, that? Uncle Vernon calls it, 'pissed as a fart'. Dunno how that's possible but still.'

'Well, this kid came back 'pissed as a fart' and tried to fight Madame Fisher when she found him and told him off. Knocked her unconscious. Then he tried to beat up us younger kids. I had enough of the guy because that's how he was normally, without the beer. He tried to punch me, but I did something and he got thrown backwards after his hand hit something in front of me, that I could hardly see.

'What was it?'

'I don't know. And the only other time, we were all in a zoo, and he was teasing me and I did something, I know it was me but I don't know how, I was just there, on the floor, when the glass to the snake exhib thing disappeared, and he went to lean on it and fell in.'

Harry wondered, about this, and joked, 'Hey, could be magic. Maybe we're wizards?'

Angelina nodded thoughtfully, 'If that's the case, I'd be a witch.'

'huh?'

'boys are wizards, girls are witches.'

'oh. Well, those. Then.'

'Could be.'

After a few minutes more, They discuss other things.

* * *

_18__th__ October, 85_

Angelina dropped a heavy book in front of him. They had just gotten to school, and once again it was break time. He didn't even notice her reach into her bag and pull anything out.

'What's this?' he asked.

'A book.' She said, blankly looking at him.

'I can see that.' He replies. Same old joke they make.

'Then why did you ask what it was?'

'I meant what is it about.'

'Then why didn't you ask that?'

'… What is it about?'

'A bunch of wizards and witches.'

'Oh. Is that all?'

'What do you mean, 'Is that all'?'

Harry shrugged, 'anything I should ask you before we read it? Or should I just let you tell all?'

She grinned, and said, 'It's a book called, 'The age of Atlantis', as you can see. It's just about this old guy, Merlin. From the tales of King Arthur, Merlin, although this doesn't go into Merlin's life in englan'. Like a, what happened through his life, thing.'

'oh. But can it wait, we have 10 minutes to finish this…'

'Yeh, it can.'

They quickly got to work, the book sat in between them on the desk. They didn't even notice that they had left it out until Lunch.


	4. Chapter 4

**Harry Potter and the Time for Childhood**

**Chapter 4**

_2__nd__ November, 85_  
They both sighed, Angelina closed the book and Harry turned their new school book to the first page.

'So. All we gotta do, is relax and.. that stuff.' Angelina asked.

'Yeh. Boring, init?' Harry commented.

'Probably. But we've spent the last 2 weeks reading that thing. It better pay off.' she replied grumpily.

They had indeed, spent 2 weeks reading the book. It was very long, and they both took turns reading the chapters aloud, the other taking notes. Angelina read the odd-numbered chapters while Harry read the even-numbered chapters. It also helped them expand their vocabulary, as after the first chapter, they decided to keep a dictionary and stuff nearby when they came across words they didn't know, which was often for the first few chapters.

They had stolen an unused school workbook to take the notes in, and had documented what they thought they'd need to work out if they were magical or not.

And now they were done. 2 weeks of long reading.

'So, what do we do?' Angelina asked.

'Erm, stand up a minute.' Harry said, and he too stood up, cleared away most of the stuff in her room before sitting down, work-turned-notebook open in front him.

He sat, cross-legged, and made a hand movement indicating Angelina to do the same.

'Now, close your eyes and breathe deeply and slowly.' He said, and she did.

For ten minutes, he instructed her as Merlin had been by his teacher in 'The Age of Atlantis'. After that, she got restless and said, 'It's your turn' remarkably calmly.

After 20 minutes he too, was calm but no nearer to knowing if they were doing it right.

'Maybe we just need to practise.' He commented.

--

_10__th__ November, 85_  
Ocean. That's all either of them heard. But that's because they were playing the sound son a tape player. A week ago, they heard it and were relaxed by it so they got the tape and played it since everytime they did the meditation.

Not yesterday had they been asked by Madame Fisher what they were doing, and they just said it was a school project, and what did she mean 'meditate'.

At the end, Harry wondered aloud why it wasn't mentioned as Meditation in the book, but since Angelina knew just as much as he did, he got no answer.

Today, they had also gotten an alarm clock, since yesterday it was only Madame Fisher interrupting that made them realise the time.

Angelina had her eyes closed, and she was almost asleep, but not quite there. She was trying to order her thoughts, with limited success. Suddenly, she found herself within a memory. It was the first day she met Harry. she saw herself talking to Harry, and saw how different they were just over 2 months ago from how they were now. The memory speeded up and changed to the playground, before slowing down and she watched herself tell memory-Harry that 'Everyone needs a friend. I'll be yours' before the memory faded and she found herself back in her normal body, eyes closed and breathing deeply.

'Woah…' she muttered.

'You too?' She heard Harry say.

'Unless you just saw yourself get told 'Everyone needs a friend'… then no' she replied.

'… You too.' Harry stated.

'That, was weird.' They both stated, before opening their eyes, staring at each other, then laughing a bit.

After they calmed down, they looked at the clock and saw that they had been doing it for 10 hours, and it was now 4am.

'Okay… why don't I feel tired?'

'Dunno, same here. Might be the meditation.' Harry replied.

'Yeh… might be. wanna go for another few hours?'

'May as well, but I need a wee so, be back in a sec.'

'Yeh… I need a drink.'

They both got up, and winced when they heard each others' bones crack from the lack of movement.

'I think we should do it on the beds, and try lying down, I was almost asleep then.' She said absently as they left the room, and she headed down to the kitchen.

--

_18__th__ November, 85  
_'Mmm.' She moaned, as Harry massaged her shoulders.

'That better?' he asked with a small grin. Sitting still for awhile meant that they both needed to loosen up. Harry could do so quickly, but Angelina, well they found a method quite satisfactory.

'You better believe it.' She muttered.

Minutes later, and Harry was done. 'Come on, it's almost time for school.'

Harry had taken to sleeping only once a week at the Dursleys, and they didn't seem to notice. He loved staying here with Angelina. As Angelina pulled her school shirt on and tied the buttons, Harry tried to tame the mess of hair on his head.

'Just give up Harry. it'll be like that forever.' She stated. He sighed, and at least got his hair to cover his scar. 'I know. Just imagine if your hair was my length?' she chuckled.

She completely missed his thoughtful frown, and the momentary change in his hair.

Harry gave it up as a bad job, and picked up his school bag. 'got everythin'?' he asked her.

'Yeh, jus', one sec.'

* * *

**A/N:** This chapter has been checked for grammar and spelling. couldnt think of anything to add. going to check the next chapter.

* * *


	5. Chapter 5

**Harry Potter and the Time for Childhood**

**Chapter 5**

_3__rd__December, 85_  
Harry is focusing on the pen. Nothing but the pen… Nothing but the pen and that movement within him… whatever it is, is moving out of him, towards the pen… and the pen is up! Wait, no! The pen is down again and the movement is gone.

Harry sat back against the pillows, and noted absently that Angelina did the same. 'You get it up?' he asked her, voice crackling.

'Yeh… woah that was intense… and tiring.'

He grinned half-heartedly. 'Good thing Teach' writes down those notes when we don't show.'

'Yeh… want to catch a bit of sleep?' She asked.

'What time is it now?'

'… Just 8. we can get just over an hour.'

'Yeh, lets.' Harry and Angelina fell asleep seconds later.

* * *

'Hop One, Hop Two and Three, What are you going to be? Hop Four, Hop Five and Six, Watch out for the cute chicks!' Called the crowd, as some girls played hopscotch, none of them aware that the lyrics could be taken a whole different way. 

Harry shook his head as he and Angelina sat down on 'the wall'. The wall, all that's left of the schools' old playground boundaries, left for some kids to sit on next to the tool shed thing where they stored spare chairs and such.

With all the 'cool' kids off doing whatever, football, hopscotch or skipping over long ropes, that left the two free to claim the spot.

'Seems so… boring.' Harry commented.

'Yeh. I mean, it's just kicking a football around.' Angelina said. Harry looked at her. 'What?' she asked upon seeing him look at her.

'I was talking about the, hopscotch and skipping… but yeah, Football is… well, _boring_ too.' Harry shrugged.

The corners of her lips curled up a bit, and she agreed, 'Yeh, it is. Kicking a ball around, hopping over rope, or numbers drawn on the ground. Not what I call fun.'

They sat there for what seemed like a while until a group of kids came over.

'uh oh.' Harry muttered, and made sure he could jump off the wall quickly if needed.

'Here comes the goon squad.' She mumbled.

'That's our spot, Freaks.' Dudley spat.

'I don't see your name on it Fat D.' Harry commented, jumping down as he did and then making a show of looking for a name. 'Nope, doesn't say Fat D anywhere.'

With Harry's back turned, Dudley made a lunge for Angelina. Unluckily for Angelina, the punch landed, and she fell backwards off the wall.

Harry turned around and growled at Dudley. 'Leave Now' he hissed. But Dudley ignored him, but instead he looked at something behind Harry.

Harry noticed, and looked at Angelina. She seemed to be glowing… and there seemed to be electricity in the air, and the faint smell of burnt wood. She was angry.

'Never. Ever. Touch. Me.' She said, in a strange voice, before she pelted Dudley in the face. He fell, then rose up. But not on his own feet.

Harry looked between Angelina and Dudley and realised what she was doing. She was levitating Dudley. Steadily, Dudley was levitated out the school grounds, and onto the roof of a house nearby.

Harry glanced around, and saw that this was unnoticed by all but Dudley's gang, who were scampering off.

Angelina sat back down, and calmed down.

'Woah…' She muttered as she suddenly looked very tired.

'How'd you do that?'

She shrugged, and said, 'Felt something move from me, and I realised I could tell it where to go, what to do…' she looked over at Dudley, and frowned. 'Has he broken that roof?'

Harry looked over, and grinned. 'Looks like.'

Dudley had evidently broken not just roof tiles, but wooden beams supporting the roof tiles, as his butt seemed to be trapped in the roof.

Once the school saw him, they all watched, as 15 minutes later a fire engine and firemen arrived and tried to pry the kid out of the roof. And, fell to the ground with a thud as the ladders he was stepping down broke, causing the kids to all laugh

And not 15 minutes later, Dudley tried to tell the teachers that he was 'lifted up and put on there' by Angelina, but he's just told he's so heavy the ladders couldn't lift him, never mind a 5 year old Angelina. He responded, loudly, with, 'It's magic!' and to the pair's amusement, was told it doesn't exist.

* * *

_4__th__ December, 91_

Harry walked back to the Dursleys. He felt he had to sleep there tonight, just like he had felt the other nights he had. He wished it would go away without him having to stay at the Dursleys. It was quite annoying.

Just as he turned onto another street, He saw Dudley come towards him, gang in tow.

'You'll pay for yesterday.' Dudley said, in as menacing way as possible.

Harry shrugged, and simply responded with, 'Make me.'

Dudley stood in front of Harry, seemingly scrutinising him, before punching Harry in the face.

Then, as Harry fell down, he felt a sharp jab to his leg, and both felt and heard a snap. Angrily, Harry got up, ignoring the pain and tried to get that moving feeling to happen, and hit Dudley and levitate him onto another house.

And it did. And Harry wasn't as kind as Angelina, as he cut the spell before Dudley had even touched the roof… which promptly caved in from the sudden force and weight. The gang took one look at Harry, then backed away towards the house.

Harry carried on walking home, feeling quite tired. Unnoticed, he got into his cupboard under the stairs, locked it from the inside, and fell asleep.

* * *

_7__th__ December, 91_

'You did_what_!?' Angelina shouted.

He grinned, and repeated what he said. 'Dropped Dudley onto a house. He was so heavy, even just being dropped from a metre above broke the roof of the house. Dursley's don't know it was me and you, of course… They've been told they have to put Dunkydiddums on a despicable "rabbitfood" diet. Duddiekins aint a happy bunny about it.'

Angelina shook her head as she attempted to hold back a smile.

'And if he's still as heavy in a month, they'll take him away and put him into a special school.'

Angelina looked at him, and said, 'You know, I should say, that's awful, splitting up a family, but… when it's _them_, well.. I just can't say that about _them_.'

Harry grinned. 'Hey, Wanna do it again?'

'No.'

'Awe… why not?'

'We'll get in trouble.'

'No we wont, they think Magic is just a work of fiction, after all.'

'I'm still saying no.'

'Fine.'

'Fine.'

'I'll just go tell Dudley…' Harry said, but before he reached the door, he was pulled back.

'No, you won't.'

'So… we will do it again?'

'No.'

'Then why…'

'So Dudley thinks we'll do it again if he keeps bullying us.'

Harry nodded, smiled and said, 'I knew that. Was just checking you did.'

'Sure, Potter.' She teased.

Harry walked up to her, and said, 'You know…'

'What do I know?'

'Nothing. But _I_ know where you're…. Ticklish!' and with that, Harry tickled her sides, and she fell to the floor giggling.

'No… no please, Mercy!' she struggled out. Harry paused, and she sighed. 'Thanks… but I do know something.'

'oh, and what might that be?'

She looked at him from her position on the floor, and stated, 'I know where you're ticklish too.'

It took him a second to realise what she meant, but that second cost him. He collapsed onto the floor under the assault, but when she slowed down, he took his chance.

The tables turned several times, they both tried to tickle each other, laughing and giggling not from the tickling, but from the struggle to do so. Eventually, Angelina got the upper hand, and Harry forced out, 'no… not the r-r-riibs… ow… Mer-cy!' She continued her assault until she was levitated onto her bed, and Harry sat up grinning.

'Hey, no fair!' She whined.

Harry shrugged and shot back, 'All's fair in love and war.'

She looked at him, and asked, 'Do you even know what that means?'

Grinning like an idiot, he shrugged again and said, 'Nope.'

'Well, if you're using magic…' She bit her lip, but he knew what she was doing, and tried to escape, but he was too late and got pulled towards her by her magic, before she began tickling him again.

Distantly, they heard, 'Get a Room!'.

* * *

'It's weird. You were right, it was like I was telling the magic what to do.' Harry told her. 

'I told you.'

'I know, but… It wasn't working for me like it was for you, until I did that to Dudley.'

She grinned, and said, 'Maybe it just needed to be 'woke' up by such a big thing like levitating a big thing named Dudley.'

'Very funny.' He dead-panned.

She swatted his arm, and he fell backwards, exaggerating the reaction. 'You hit me! Oh, woe is me, My only friend, beating me up… Oh boo hoo!'

She swatted his arm again but grinned and said, 'You just admitted that I can beat you up.'

Harry hesitated, and replied, 'No I didn't.'

'Yes you did.'

'no I didn't.'

'Did'.'

'Didn't.'

'Did'.'

'Didn't.'

'Did'.'

'Didn't.'

'Didn't.'

'See, I didn't!'

Angelina closed her eyes, sighed, and mumbled, 'I was using reverse Psychology.'

Harry grinned, and asked, 'you don't know what that means do you?'

'Well, I know when you do that thing in did and didn't arguments, it's part of what's called Reverse Psychology. But no, I don't know what it is.'

'… Okay… Want to meditate? Last time I found it easier to feel my magic, you know, after the incident.'

She nodded, and they both sat back, against the pillows on the two beds, and meditated.

Minutes later, the same pens they had levitated before, were doing cartwheels and other things, and they could keep the spell up for an hour with concentration before getting tired.

'Maybe, you know, smaller thing, uses less magic?' Harry asked as they wondered about that.

'Yeh… Maybe.'

'Oh, and Angelina?'

'Yeh?'

'Didn't.'

* * *

**A/N:** Odd - just checked this chapter and the only errors that ff.n's spellcheck gave me were the doesn't and wasn't sorta words, spell checker doesn't detect contractions... how odd. all that's changed is that i've added this Authors note. 


	6. Chapter 6

**Harry Potter and the Time for Childhood**

**Chapter 6**

_23__rd__ December, 85_  
Harry looked over at the other bed. Angelina was meditating, but he couldn't. So far, she had progressed a lot, and could keep up the pen trick almost constantly. Or at least, she wasn't ever tired after she did it for a long time. Harry himself, was just days behind making that 4 hours mark he had maxed at. He was days behind, because, in the run up to Christmas, Harry hadn't been able to meditate as much as Angelina had.

She would meditate, instead of sleep, but in Privet Drive, where Harry had to stay there for several nights in a row because of those weird cops, Harry slept. There was something about the place that just meant he couldn't meditate. Then again, it was a noisy place, and Meditation, for Harry anyway, needed peace and quiet, which was plentiful at Angelina's. Or it could have been that the first and only time Harry did try to meditate while in Number 4 Privet Drive, the memories of that house began to flood his conscious mind, and so he didn't try again. Or, that it took him 4 times as long to even get to that point in the meditation, due to the noise Dudley had been making while playing Super Killer 3 on his 4th Sega games console.

But, now he was back to sleeping in Angelina's room at the foster home, He should have gotten back on track with the meditation. But this one time, at least, he couldn't. He had been trying to get into the memories so he could trigger the magic, but hadn't been able to.

Finally, she came out of it and looked over at Harry to see him hunched over, just sat on the side of the bed looking back at her.

'Can't meditate?' she asked, as though she was just asking him if he couldn't sleep. To her, though, meditation was, when used in place of sleep, just like it. The dreams had been replaced by memories, but beyond that and the increasing bounds in her magical potential, just like it.

Harry sighed, closed his eyes and groused out, 'Just, things are on my mind.'

She stood up, and stepped over to him, before sitting next to him and hugging him tightly. 'When did those cops go?'

'They weren't there when I woke at 3. Didn't want to interrupt you when I got here… You look so peaceful doing that.'

She looked at him oddly and then asked him, 'You watch me meditate?'

'Only when I can't. It's like I'm locked out of that state at times.'

She nodded, and said, 'I got those when you weren't here. It'll pass.'

He grunted and then laid down on his side. 'You tried anything bigger than a pen?'

'Just you, and that tired me right out.'

He grinned a bit, 'As I recall, you were quite… active, with your hands.'

She laughed. Neither of them picked up on the innuendo accidentally inserted into the conversation at that moment. 'I recall you levitating me off you too. Yet you were just as busy as me.'

He shrugged, and said, 'Well, maybe that was a fluke?'

She nodded and said, 'Try now, now that you're in a better mood.'

* * *

As Harry meditated, Angelina thought on something Madame Fisher had noticed. Her Vocabulary (which she could say correctly) had expanded since reading the book and both her and Harry's English seemed to be "On Par" with those starting high school. It just seemed natural to her and Harry to talk more like grown-ups then the kids. Bullying, and a fair few things that others her and Harry's age found fun, they didn't. Angelina caught herself calling someone older then her 'childish' at one point, before remembering she was still a child too. 

She was happy with that using the magic constantly to float and flip the pen over while meditating at night didn't tire her, but wanted to do more. She crept over to the bookcase in her room, and pulled out the notebook. She then sat cross-legged on her bed, and flicked through, wondering what to try next.

* * *

Harry came out of the meditation relaxed. He had stopped doing magic half-way through, and noticed that staying the trance helped alleviate the exhaustion. As he sat up, he looked over at Angelina, who was reading the Atlantis book. 

'Hey.' He said, and she jumped, startled by the sound.

'Hey. When did you finish?' She asked, as she put the book down.

'Just now, what're you looking for in there?'

'Oh… well, I thought we could try something else… something not levitation.'

Harry grinned and said, 'I want to turn Dudley into a pig.'

'No.'

'What do you mean no?' Harry whined petulantly.

'You're not turning him into a pig.'

'Not even just give him a tail, piggy ears and nose?'

'No.'

'Awe, you're no fun.'

'I so am.'

'How?'

'I know where you're ticklish.'

Harry blinked, and then dodged, but the lunge never came. She was grinning at him from her bed, not having moved. 'Don't do that.'

'Do what?'

'That.'

'What's "That"?'

'What's what?'

'Now you're just being difficult.'

'Hello, I'm Difficult, and you are?'

Angelina got up and swatted him on the arm, and mumbled, 'Oh, shut up.'

Harry mimed zipping his lips, then stood to attention and saluted her and mouthed 'Yes Sir.'

'That does it.' She mumbled before launching her tickle attack.

'Haha! S-St-op! hahaha, no... not the r-rribs… hahahahaha! Ow.'

* * *

That night, Harry decided to sleep at Privet Drive. Because of the cops, he decided to sleep there twice a week, not wanting them to come and stop him from seeing Angelina. As Harry walked up, he didn't notice the lack of a car on the drive. 

He knocked, and waited a minute before doing his usual, and getting the spare key he had hidden away. Entering the house, he looked around and saw that a fair number of things had been packed away. There was no food either. Evidently, they had gone on holiday. It was not the first time Harry found himself alone for a few days, so he just shrugged, went to his cupboard, and fell fast asleep with the door locked on his side

* * *

_24__th__ December, 85_

Thud thud thud. Harry awoke, and heard some sounds coming from somewhere in the house. With the cupboard door shut, he wouldn't be able to tell properly where, so he opened it slightly to identify the whereabouts of the noise without alerting whatever was causing it.

Thump thump thump. From the living room. He steadily got up. All the time he had spent making himself all but invisible to the Dursleys seemed to help him, as he didn't make a single sound, breathing too shallow to alert anyone even from that.

Thud. Someone swearing in pain. Harry crept up to the living room door, and quietly opened it. It was still dark, and whoever it was wasn't using flashlights, so his presence wouldn't be noted with any visual or audio tellers.

Harry looked at the 3 intruders, and noted one to be quite fat. Harry could see them, because his night-sight was quite good, and obviously, this lot's night sight wasn't so.

The fat one hit the coffee table, and with a simple statement, confirmed their identity to Harry. 'Who the heck moved this? Must be that god-awful nephew of theirs.'

'Aunt' Marge.

He thanked whatever powers that were that she hadn't brought any of the dogs she owned, mainly ripper who she at least brought each time she had visited.

He watched for a minute, while trying to feel his magic. Aunt Marge was going for the television. _That… Cow._ He thought.

Suddenly, Harry remembered a chapter in the Atlantis book. Merlin had once cast a spell to stun a dragon. He didn't think it'd work for a moment, but he remembered one of the core rules the book seemed to have, Belief is Key. He was going to stun them. No "try" about it.

Carefully, he made his way into the living room, and got behind the couch. One of the 2 accompanying Marge, was behind the TV, undoing all the cables, while the other was ready to lift it up. Marge just seemed to be stood there, watching them.

Harry felt he had enough magic to get them all at once, the magic felt so active. He focussed on the goal. He will stun them, so they fall asleep, only to wake up once in police custody…He felt his magic move, and he told it to stun the 3. Eyes wide open, he watched as a strange red light encompassed the entire room for a moment, before the darkness took over. The faint silhouettes of the intruders were on the floor, unmoving. Harry quickly dialled 999 on the house phone, asked for the police to go to Number 4 Privet Drive, before he left the house. He didn't want to explain how he had knocked them unconscious, nor be blamed for putting Marge in prison. Vernon was dumb, he would think she wasn't there to steal from him, and ignore the point that she was in clothing suitable for burglarising a home – his home.

As he ran through the streets, he felt tired, very tired, and struggled to continue. Only when he got into the Foster home and collapse on the couch, did he fall asleep. He hadn't even seen that Angelina was wide awake and witness to his sudden entry.

* * *

'He'll be ok, just sleepy.' She told Madame Fisher. She was pulling Harry up the stairs, who was struggling to walk up on his own power. Madame Fisher took hold of Harry's other arm, and together they got him onto the bed. She had given him an hour on the couch before waking him to move to her bed, before the other kids woke up. 

She plonked him onto the bed he slept in, pulled up a throw-over, and went back downstairs and out into the back garden to watch sunrise.

* * *

**A/N:** - another chapter where the only errors it detected were contraction words. Doesnt, couldn't, wouldn't, can't, etcetera. Working on the next chapter - yes i know before any of you say anything - im just a lazy lazy lazy writer. and soonish, i'm joining the RAF - Starting the app process tomorrow. that means by my 20th birthday i should be in basic training or something. long app process stuffyness. Oh well. Going in as a ICT Specialist. Built my own computer - which is perfectly okay, so I am capable of learning that sort of thing lol. 


	7. Chapter 7

**Harry Potter and the Time for Childhood**

**Chapter 7**

_25__th__ December, 85_  
Harry woke to his belly grumbling. It did that a lot, and he found it to be an adequate alarm clock. Like clockwork, it'd grumble at 7 in the morning. Angelina always found it funny, but to Harry, it was normal.

Sitting up, he vaguely remembered being moved from the couch downstairs to his bed here, in Angelina's room. He looked over at the clock on the wall near the door, and saw also the calendar under it. When he saw the date, he jumped up, changed his clothes really quickly, and sped downstairs to give Angelina a Merry Christmas hug.

What stopped him, though, was upon entering the living room, several kids, high school kids at that, looked up from a newspaper at Harry. One blurted out, 'How could you stop 3 adults? You're a midget!'

Harry grinned, and went over to Angelina.

'What's the story?' he asked.

'Same old, you know, you've made the front page.'

'What?!'he exclaimed in astonishment.

'Shush. Yeh, Whatever you did, knocked those 3 out real cold. Police are really in a tizzy trying to work out how, without any sign that it was done… forcefully.'

Harry's mind reeled with this. 'I just… stunned… them.'

Angelina frowned, but didn't ask. Harry walked over to the teens and looked at the story. He frowned as he read it, and looking up, he said, 'How the hell were they able to describe me in such detail… I hadn't even met those 2 blokes before. And they didn't see me when I…' He hesitated, and said, 'knocked them out.'

The kids shared a look, before shrugging and asked who the woman was. 'Hm? Oh, Aunt Marge. Bit of a cow really. Not that surprised she'd be stealing from her brother…'

Then, his face lit up and said, 'No more Marge. No more _Ripper!_'

'Ripper?' one of the girls asked.

'Er… one of her dogs, she lets it chase me.' He shrugged, not mentioning the permanent scars on his ankles from when he hadn't been able to outrun it or escape the back garden.

'Hey, look at this. Says you used a phaser to knock 'em out.' One of the teens told them.

'Phaser? What's a phaser?' Harry asked.

'Hm? Oh… it's… a weapon from Star Trek.' One of the teens mumbled.

The others started teasing him for being a 'trekkie', so Harry and Angelina took the paper and sat away from them.

As the morning wore on, the Foster Carers came in and handed out presents. Harry felt uncomfortable, as he had not been allowed in the room when the Dursleys opened their presents for the last few Christmases, so this was a new thing for him.

Evidently, they knew this, as one second, he was staring at his lap, and the next, he felt a weight on his legs, and he was looking at a present with his name written on the label.

He smiled, and timidly opened it. Only to be confused. He looked up to Angelina and ask, 'Why did you get me a photo frame?'

'To put the picture of us two in, silly.'

That just confused him more, as his brain had shut down the moment a present with his name on was noticed in his lap…

He scarcely paid attention as Angelina pulled him up to their room, until a flash of light dragged him out of it and Madam Fisher left the room chuckling to herself, camera in hand.

* * *

Harry sat down on the bed, closed his eyes and took several deep breaths in preparation for meditation. On the other bed, Angelina was doing the same. He concentrated on the feeling of his magic just before and after casting the spell, trying to memorise the feeling of pushing the magic out. After awhile, he felt his own, pond, of magic, swirling around inside him. Opening his eyes for a moment to take a drink, careful not to loose the feeling of his magic, he focused on sending a little of the swirly magic to a glass of coke on Angelina's bedside table. He smiled slightly as it began to float, the attempt much easier for him then previously. Then, he put his hand up as if to grab something in the way he would if someone passed him a glass, and the glass calmly moved from the table to his hand. A minute later, the glass was back on the table and He was trying to ignore the burning-like sensation coke always caused when going down his throat. 

It was just an hour later when he decided to try something else behind the levitation tricks. He remembered how the stunning spell felt when the magic left him, and tried to get a bit of that to happen, but to just hover in front of him, still tied to him slightly…

It was the sight of Harry, eyes closed and forehead covered in perspiration, with a misty red orb in front of him that Angelina opened her own eyes to shortly before 9pm.  
"What the-"

Harry opened his eyes and smiled ... only for his smile to fade when the orb did. "... Well at least i could hold it... that long" he mumbled to himself.

"What was that?" Angelina asked.

"I was just trying to imagine that stunner thing, as a ball hovering in front of me... I could feel my magic better... Maybe doing more big stuff makes it easier to do the little stuff?"

"...Well just don't set us up to be robbed, to get me to do it too." Angelina said after a few minutes of thinking. "I quite like not being in the papers thank you very much."

"I'll try." Harry joked.

"Maybe it's like a muscle... the more you use it, the stronger it gets."

"Maybe." Harry thought for a minute, "We can try doing the big stuff later, i'd prefer to be able to do the easier stuff easily before i go onto the harder stuff. This ball of stun is fairly easy to get out but not so easy, yet not hard, to control..."

Angelina nodded, and they went back into their trances.

An hour later, Harry opened his eyes to see a wisp of red coming from Angelina's chest, but that was all. He went back into the trance to focus on the ball of stun again.

* * *

_29th __December, 85_

"How about this?" one of the kids asked.

"Nah, too boring."another replied.

"Actually we like it." some girls said.

"You would." the first boy snootily shot at them.

"Huh...?" the girls, confused, asked.

"You're a girl, all of you are girls. Girls would like that. Pick a real film." the 2nd boy translated and said.

"I'll have you know that-" one girl began, but Madam Fisher interrupted, "Children, We're here for 3 films. Pick one for you girls and one for you boys, and one to watch together. Dont argue."

"Sorry miss." the group mumbled.

Harry looked on at the group continue to argue but much quieter, not getting any more of Madam Fisher's attention, as she headed off to look for one too.

"How about this?" Angelina asked him. When he turned to look at what she had picked out, he grinned. "Yes?" She asked.

"Yeah." Harry agreed, but hesitated and said, "A few might not - they aren't into Scifi."

"I meant for us to get..." Angelina replied.

"We don't have any money." Harry pointed out.

"I do, never went to the sweets shop when i got pocket money. Should have enough to rent this... Besides it should give us some ideas to use for our, tricks." Angelina pointedly told him.

Harry nodded after thinking it over. "Sure. Now what do you think about this..." He held one up.

"For who?" She asked, as she shot a glance at the thing.

"Everyone." HArry answered cucinctly.

"... Oh clever. Romance and action... drama and so on. appeals to everyone. Nice choice." She mumbled in reply, while looking through over Scifi titles.

"What's a nice choice?" Madam Fisher asked from behind the two, causing them to jump in fright.

She just chuckled, as the two handed her their choices. She barely blinked at Angelina wanting to get Star Wars for the two of them.

* * *

_9th February, 86_

"You want me to what?"

"Imagine the lightsaber, but made of magic, coming from this stick..."

Harry just gave her an incredulous look. "It took Merlin years to do that sort of thing according to those books..."

"Oh pish. you're just doing your little stun thing but like a pole..." Angelina argued back.

"Fine. But don't blame me if this goes kaplooey like when you tried to do it last month."

"I got it down last week..."

"Yeh, and you've been trying to do it since watching Star Wars."

"... So?"

"... Whatever. Fine. I'll give it a go."

"Thanks. So, what color do you think you should have?"

"... Green."

"Because of you're eyes?"

"Yeah. Your's has a tinge of green aswell as the blue, you know."

"Oh? I didn't notice."

Somehow, the way she said that caused Harry to blush, ending the conversation there. They focused back on their work. Over the last 2 months, they had done a variation of their usual schedule, alternating trying a stun ball with the easier tricks, and at one time combining them. While Harry did even more work in that regard however, Angelina was trying to recreate a Lightsaber. She had gotten a lad to make her a prop hilt out of some scrap metal they had found. they couldnt make another for Harry though, so it was just Angelina attempting it. She had taken a full month of practise before anything happened, and that didn't exactly go right. After that though she had gotten it down good.

After an hour in the trance, Harry came out of it, pouting. "It's not working."

"You'll get it eventually."

"I suppose so. In the meantime, wanna try some target practise?"

"What do you mean?"

"See if your lightsaber can block my stunners."

Angelina's grin was hesitant, as she nodded in agreement.

At first she kept missing the bolts of red light harry was sending, but when she connected with one, it was rebounded, and she danced a jig in delight.

"I did it I did it." she shouted quietly.

* * *

**A/N:** the film they rented was Return of the Jedi. as for the other titles i didn't mention... well i dont know what films where out in 85/86 - i was born in 88. 

Anyway Half this was written just today - 20th jan 08. the rest was ... er.. june or something. Meh. Don't kill me.

Might work in extra sentances and that to pad the chapter out when i edit it.

Note: gone back and edited the other chapters (4/5/6) but they've not really been changed. Spellchecker didn't find any errors, oddly enough.


	8. Chapter 8

**Harry Potter and the Time for Childhood**

**Chapter 8**

_6__th__ September, 89  
_Harry and Angelina sat down, waiting for their teacher.

They were in year 5 of Junior School now, and they couldn't wait to start. They loved school now. After things kept happening to Dudley, he had cooled off towards them in his behaviour shortly after Christmas, back in '85. Since then, they had talked and hung around with other kids, but not much. The occasional new kid that was a bully quickly learned not to bully any one – Harry and Angelina especially.

This was because Harry and Angelina weren't all that careful among the other kids, to keep their little secret.

Harry was getting especially good at Illusions, and most of the times when they stopped bullying, Harry had put one over the bullies in question so that they'd see themselves all beat up, and variations of that.

Most of the kids in their class knew they could do things. In the last 3 years, they had learned that the adults didn't ever believe them, so not one had questioned it. The kids in the other years followed Harry's yearmates lead in that regard. The kids in the other years didn't know nearly as much as the two's yearmates, but they knew odd things tended to happen; things that one very older student getting ready to go into high school, knew shouldn't have been possible without aid of advanced technology – or at all.

Despite this, no one ever talked about it. It was like they just knew, and didn't need to discuss it, or think of it.

From this had stemmed the better social interactions between Harry and Angelina and whoever hadn't been warned off by Dudley in the first place.

One lad, a Star Wars fan, especially liked their mock lightsabers, and was responsible for making a hilt for Harry – Angelina kept the first.

As they settled in and read from a library book, waiting for their teacher, those lightsaber hilts laid still in their schoolbags.

* * *

Harry sighed when the newest transfer kid called him out the very first break.

"Hey kid…" the kid began menacingly. "you're in my spot."

This caught the attention of some of Harry's nearby sort-of friends. Almost instantly, the kids began to wonder what show would be put on.

"As I have looked quite thoroughly over this small section of the old school boundary wall many times, I am very much sure that you have not placed a label proclaiming such." Harry said in one long breath. He used an illusion to make it so no one saw him gulping for air, before continuing on. "In fact, I have heard whispers of a general consensus that this spot is mine, despite not placing a claim of ownership myself." With that he gave amused glances to everyone gathered round. They twitched in amusement.

The kid just looked confused trying to work out what Harry was saying. Most everyone else was used to Harry and Angelina's method of talk when trying to make others look dumb. As such, the few smart kids were translating for those unable to, except of course, they did not translate for the kid.

"Whatever. Move whimp."

"And if I do not move?" Harry challenged.

The kid produced a knife – not any knife either, a very sharp one Harry knew to be used to cut through thick uncooked meat.

The older kids' faces changed to show manic grins, while the younger ones looked shocked, and some in between just looked amused.

The kid took this as a sign in his favour, not against as the truth was.

For the truth was, they knew that they were in for a very good show, with Harry coming out on top. As usual.

The older kid who was a fan of Star wars had an inkling, and bet that Harry would use his Lightsaber trick in the coming show. He felt very lucky, and bet £5 on it with his friends, who also placed bets. It would be he who won.

Harry tutted. "A simplistic tool used in the cutting of food. Not all that sharp-" Harry's left eye twitched, the only outward sign that he had just cast an illusion not on himself, "- and so quite incapable of piercing human skin. While, here…" Harry pulled out the hilt from his bag, and cast the charms, with an illusion so only Piers could see it, (a trick others were aware of,) "An advanced technological wonder, used in the defence of man against… well, man. Able to cut through anything, given enough _force_."

The star wars kid and several others winced at the pun.

The kid was sweating, heavily. He didn't know what to make of this kid. He looked at his own knife, then gurgled in surprise to see it rather different from before… the cutting side no longer serrated, and rather brown-rust looking.

"Now tell me, if I do not move… what?"

The kid twitched, then turned and ran off.

Into a waiting teacher that Harry hadn't met before. "What's going on here?" the teacher asked, but spotted the knife. He snatched it from the kid, and said, "Mr Polkiss, I'll be speaking to your parents later. Go directly to my office, _now._"

The kid, Piers Polkiss, ran as fast as he could.

Harry looked over this teacher he didn't recognise. Harry was rather unsettled by him. Angelina came over and a quick few words between them, she nodded and shook her head, slightly upset at missing the show.

"Mr Potter." The teacher nodded.

"Sir…?" Harry asked openly.

"Mr Moore."

"Yes, Mr Moore?"

The man seemed to think for a second, before saying, "Come to my office at dinner, Mr Potter."

Harry nodded, and turned to his best friend and the group gathered around them, watching the new teacher leave from the corner of his eye. Something was off.

* * *

From the classroom window, year 6 teacher Mr Moore watched the 2 kids as they played before the start of school.

Moore was a young teacher, he looked to be in his late 20's, brown hair, rather non-descript. But all the other teachers agreed on something, there was something, off, with the man. Nothing bad, he didn't set off their alarm bells, no, they just put the feeling down to how they know so little about him. Only the headmaster of the school seemed to know anything, and he was rather tight-lipped about the new teacher.

And just in that same way the other teachers felt there was something, odd, with him, he felt something odd from the kids, even before the playground incident that brought the 5th year Piers Polkiss to his attention.

Unlike the other teachers, however, he at least had a basis from which to form an idea over what caused this feeling.

As the bell rang, Moore sighed and prepared his classroom for the boisterous group he had gotten from the year 6 students.

As he taught the English literature lesson, in the back of his mind, he was thinking.

About his new post – the primary school was one of the larger ones in the area. Nearly 50 students per year average. One year even had 3 teachers – the current year 5.

About his job – oh, he was more than just a primary school teacher.

And about his family, what his dad was doing now that he had been forced into retirement by the woman Moore had fondly called 'Amy'. What his mother was up to while on her tour of Asia and if she knew about his dads' forced retirement, and what his younger siblings were doing now to support the family.

This last one was pushed even further as the lesson wore on.

Finally, after the hour-long lesson, he got a break and went to the staff room for a good cup of tea.

Unfortunately, he was put on playground duty.

Or rather, fortunately, considering what happened out there.

At the end of the break, Mr Moore couldn't really believe it. He wondered how many spells his dad would cast at him before the man at the least believed it was him, and not an imposter, never mind believing him about what he would say about the kids. His dad would most likely say he's gone insane and so on.

When the year 6 boys re-entered the classroom, just ahead of the girls, he held back his shudder and got his mind back on track.

By the time dinner rolled around and finished, he wasn't sure if he hadn't gone insane and he hadn't noticed. This thought carried him through the day, till he got home and set to find out if he was. But no, his potion's response to his blood assured him, he was as sane as the next joe blogs, his special bowl assured him that the kids really did do all that and his surface scans really did confirm their words as truth.

He immediately re-wrote his will – he had a lot of explaining to do to his dad.

* * *

**Authors Notes:** Sorry for the loooong wait, but my muse left me earlier, and I keep asking her who Jason is that keeps phoning since she returned.

She's got a new tattoo as well. Don't know what it says – she rubbed it a bit raw with some scrubbing brush up in my mental shower – and yes, I have a mental shower. Sometimes I get dirty thoughts, and if I don't clean up people would notice. Well… they would now that I've advertised the fact, oh dear.

Sigh. I always was a sucker for brunettes.

Anyway, in the previous version of this chapter, I listed the different stories I :really: want to write, but it's my muse, she comes and goes whenever she wants. And I'm always strapped for cash so I can't just hire someone to turn the idea's I have into stories for me… hmm… you know, that's rather strange – when she left, for a good while, I actually had money. Now she's back but out a lot… hmm… nah coincidence I'm sure.

That's what she says anyway. And she also says I need to get on with Chapter 9 and 10, and finish this pre-hogwarts section of the series. :sigh:. All work and no play.

Anyway the stories – cleaned up summaries - better i think. more long winded but meh...

**A Time for Childhood**  
Pre-Hogwarts  
Harry Potter is a normal boy. There's just one thing. He's a wizard, but doesn't know it. Or does he? Does he truly not know about his abilities? The mystery that is Harry began as it always does, in the beginning, during his childhood. There is a time for everything, and this is a time for Childhood.

**A Time for Learning**  
1st and 2nd year Hogwarts  
The Famous boy-who-lived is starting Hogwarts, and to many he is a mystery, even the youngest of 6 boys, Ron Weasley, and the very intelligent Hermione Granger. Befriended by the Master-Chess-player and the bookworm-turned-lion, Harry learns to live without his childhood friend. But as he does, mysteries lurk around Hogwarts, danger is never far, and Harry is somehow the centre of it all. For Harry, The Time for Childhood is over, and he has entered the time for learning. But Even as this time ends, one mystery remains.

**A Time for Emerging**  
3rd Year Hogwarts  
Harry finds himself in even more danger at Hogwarts at the start of his 3rd year. His time for learning theory is over, and must start to put his knowledge into practise. But with Dementors guarding Hogwarts, Traitors looking to kill him, a mysterious Defence teacher whom Harry feels he should know and another mystery beginning to rear it's head, Harry knows he will struggle to contain himself, to keep his powers secret. And through all this, the mystery of what ails him continues.  
This year is a time for emerging into his powers, to see beyond the walls of Hogwarts, to emerge into the larger wizarding world, and into his fame. Can a 13 year old handle it all? Especially with Darkness on the horizon

**A Time for Darkness**  
4th year Hogwarts  
The mysterious tournament that Harry heard about last year is coming. With it, a storm is brewing that only he can see. Hidden, the forces of darkness conspire against him. With only few allies he struggles in his fight, for he can not reveal his true power, it isn't that time. But a beacon of light arrives as the tournament does. Reunited, Harry and Angelina begin planning in earnest. But this is a time for darkness to come upon them, and in darkness, one can easily loose their way, their friends… their lives…

**A Time for Preparation**  
5th Year Hogwarts  
Voldemort has been reborn into a new form, and he has returned almost as strong as he left the world 14 years ago. Harry told the wizarding world this. But they didn't listen. Only the students at Hogwarts believe him. Some for less than honourable reasons. Aware that he alone, even with his power, can't stop the Dark Armies of Voldemort, Harry knows he must have help – a lot more help. As a Time for Preparation settles upon Hogwarts, Harry takes the first step on the road to war, training friends and students of Hogwarts to defend themselves, and if need be, fight. And he must do this in secret, for the Ministry seems to not take kindly to unsponsored school clubs…

**A Time for Struggle**  
6th Year Hogwarts  
Angelina must return to her school, to spread the word and to prepare her friends back there. Harry, now alone, must find the strength to continue without her, continue preparing his friends, his fellow students… But now the wizarding world has proof that Dark Lord is back. Yet they can't do anything. It's too late. It's a Time for Struggle, a struggle through fights, a struggle through school, a struggle through life… and for Harry, he is learning that it is also a struggle through death.

**A Time for War**  
7th Year Hogwarts  
From the Ramparts of Hogwarts, Harry saw the start of the civil war in magical Britain. The forces of Voldemort, the forces of the Ministry, and a new force colliding in one epic battle. But while Britian struggles through a war of violence between factions of people, Harry must face several wars of other kinds. A war of emotions, a war of words, and worst of all, a war of his life or his death, His ailment returned twice over. This is a Time for War, and war comes in many shapes.

**A Time for Vengeance**  
Post-Hogwarts  
The Ministry forces fallen, all that stands between Voldemort and total victory for his forces is Harry and the much smaller army of light. All that stands between Voldemort and true immortality is a prophecy, and in that prophecy lays the only way he could die. He would be destroyed by 'The One'. Everyone thinks that's Harry, but Harry isn't so sure, not after facing him in the ministry building during it's fall. But when he learns something, he realises his fears are true – he is the one, the only one. And britain will learn just what their saviour can do, for by the time it is over, it will be the end of the time of darkness. It is a time for Vengeance, and Vengeance has a name.


	9. Chapter 9

**Harry Potter and the Time for Childhood**

**Chapter 8**

_6__th__ September, 89  
_Harry openly stared at his teacher. "W.. What do you mean, Magic?"

Mr Moore grinned, and pointed out, "What you did out there… was magic. The illusions… nice work by the way. How long have you been able to do that?"

Harry shuffled in his seat, but timidly explained, "Since 2nd year…"

"Really? It's not a new thing then?" Mr Moore asked in surprise.

"No… I've known since 1st year I could do things, me and Angelina just took half a year trying to work out how to get to what lets us do these things…"

"Angelina too? Her last name wouldn't be McKinnon would it?" Moore asked offhandedly.

"Yeah…" Harry answered.

"Harry…" Mr Moore began, but paused to think. When he restarted, he was hesitant, "What do you know about your parents?"

Harry winced, but mumbled, "They died in a car crash, s'all I know."

Mr Moore nodded, and mumbled something about expecting that sort of thing, before louder, he said, "Well, what you do is called Magic. That makes you a Wizard, and Angelina a Witch. Now both of your parents, and Angelina's, were Wizards and Witches. Now first things first, not all Wizards and Witches are good."

Harry knew this didn't bode well… but knew if he was to learn about this, he wanted Angelina here to hear it at the same time. "Erm, sir…" he interrupted. "Shouldn't Angelina be here…?"

He nodded slowly, and seeming to sense Harry's unease, switched tracks. "Where is she now?"

Harry paused in thought, but barely a second later replied, "Just in the hallway waiting for me."

Mr Moore smiled and said, "then bring her in, and we can get talking."

Harry smiled faintly, and did so.

Once she was in and sat down too, Mr Moore explained to them that he knows about the magical world, just _what_ the magical world was, and various other things, including himself.

"I am like you, in a way. I'm a wizard. People like me are rare in our world; I'm one of the few capable of living outside of it, as good as I can within it. I chose to live outside it for a variety of reasons, my dad being a small one."

"Your dad?" Angelina asked curiously.

He hesitated, and nodded, "He's the magical equivalent to a cop; they're called Aurors. He's one of the most famous Aurors of the 20th century, at least as far as the British segment of the magical world is concerned."

"So you're different from us…?" Harry asked.

"Ah yes that… well you two are different yourselves, rarer in the world. Anyway, I'm highly skilled in particular types of magic that saved my dads life over the years. I was trained by my dad, rather than going to the school in Scotland."

"School?"

"Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. When you're 11, you'll receive a letter from them, saying you've been accepted. Most likely, your parents put you down on the register when you were born. If you had sufficient magical ability, it would accept you. And considering your prowess already with Illusions…"

"and others." Angelina mumbled with a smile.

"… and others…" Moore added, "then you both are already accepted."

"So we'd learn magic there?"

Moore nodded, but thinking over their behaviour from earlier in mind, he warned them, "Underage wizards and witches aren't supposed to do magic outside of Hogwarts, until they're seventeen."

"_Seventeen?_" the two cried in horror.

With a laugh to settle them, he added, "Well, that is through wands anyway."

The two frowned, and Harry asked the obvious question. "What's a Wand?"

Mr Moore thought for a second for a metaphor… "Just like you use your glasses to focus to see, you use a wand to focus to cast spells. Most wizards and witches never manage anything without a wand, bigger than a light spell, which is a shame since if they trained their magic from … well your age when you started I guess, they'd be able to do all sorts of things. Without a wand."

The two shared a look, and Angelina asked, "So the Witches and Wizards don't do this stuff without a wand, but not only that, they don't try?"

"That's correct."

They both asked, in that way kids usually do, "why?"

Moore thought for a moment, before he answered them. "I guess it's because, for the most part, they think it is impossible."

The two frowned at that.

"Don't think about it – I don't that's for sure. My dad put it this way: Instead of Common Sense and Logic, we got magic."

The two giggled to that. "So basically, they see wandless, and assume a hidden wand?"

Moore nodded. "They can come up with all sorts of explanations… delay-casting, local phenomenon. Tricks of the eye… Speaking of which. Nice Lightsaber. Star Wars?"

The two nodded, giggling quietly.

"So we can do that. How?"

"… No one knows. No one's tried to know. Some wizards and witches, born to families who do magic, assume that it's to do with blood, which wouldn't make much sense, since your mum, Harry, came from a very long line of people without magic. And then there's a few people born to magic families, but don't have much – or any – magic, and most of the time can't even do a spell through a wand. Suffice to say, the ones capable of magic through a wand, have … well I guess it's like a lake with a dam. The more water – magical reserve – the more spells we can do before that magic runs out. The more it rains – recharging…"

"-Like a battery-" Angelina inserted Moore nodded with a smile

"… like a battery, the more it rains the fuller the 'lake' of magic gets. Now for some people, they have very large 'lakes' so they can cast a lot of spells before they hit what we call Magical exhaustion."

"I think I know what that feels like." Harry grumbled, remembering a few times from years ago. "Been awhile since I felt like that though."

"Like you're very tired, and slightly upset stomach?" Moore asked. Harry nodded, and so did Angelina. "So, if you did what you did before again today you should feel it again, even with practise, it takes years to get to the level of being able to do that casually."

Harry and Angelina shared a smile, before little halos appeared above their heads and they asked rather innocently, "But what if we just kept pushing beyond that?"

Harry also asked, "It's like a muscle, the more you use it, the larger the reserve you get, and also the more magic you can use each time you use it…?"

Angelina asked, "And sometimes your 'recharge rate' increases if forced too… or something?"

Mr Moore was wide-eyed, but none-the-less, he was smiling at the pair. "Remarkable. Truly. You might want to hide this from our peoples, though."

Harry frowned. "Why?" he asked. He was curious.

"As I said, little common sense and logic. They'd think you're Dark or some nonsense to get powers beyond their own. Now, it's almost lesson. I think, we should meet once a week? To talk about what was, what is, and what will be to come?"

Angelina rolled her eyes. "You sound like Merlin."

Mr Moore chuckled as he sent the kids out.

* * *

Later that week, Harry and Angelina looked up from their books at the piece of wood they had scrounged from an alley.

"This, transfig thing is a bit harder than I thought." Harry muttered. No matter what he did, his magic wouldn't alter it properly.

"Put a bit more into then? I don't know…" Angelina said.

Harry nodded, and within seconds, the block of wood began to shift form, almost like liquid wood. Slowly, the 'liquid' defied gravity and the whole thing changed shape into a horse-like animal, before it became solid.

"That's as much as I'm going to get from it." Harry said with a sigh.

"How long will it stay like that?" Angelina asked.

Harry shrugged, "I dunno, I just put a lot more magic into it so I guess it'll be like that for awhile."

"Yeah… I can feel there's a lot there… and it's not dissipating as quickly as I thought it would, like with the lightsaber spells."

Harry nodded, feeling the same.

It was rather strange, but now normal for them to 'feel' magic. They spent so long sensing inwards for their magic, then outwards so they can direct it properly, that they gradually realised they could sense magic without having to direct it or it be from themselves… they haven't, however, tried to direct the magic there, when it wasn't their own. The book of atlantis had one scene where Merlin was knocked unconscious when he tried it – when they got that far into the book and realised what it was referring to.

So no, this was something they weren't going to try to do.

As it was, they had trouble directing their own magic to do more complex things, like transfigure one material into another, or as Harry just did with a lot of effort, alter it's state and then shape it, then release the state to normal - solid to liquid, shape, liquid to solid.

"We've been at this 2 weeks now." Angelina mumbled after she took a turn trying to alter her piece into a cat, and only succeeding in giving the block of wood fur- which only lasted around 20 seconds at that.

"I know, we'll get there. Remember, it took us a while to get illusions down." He reminded her with a faux grin.

She returned it, before laying down on her bed with a slight huff.

"Tired?" he asked her, and only received a nod. He looked at the time to see it was almost nine, and shrugged. He too was tired. He got into his own bed, and they both tried to sleep, only succeeding after a fair bit of tossing and turning.

Late in the night, Madam fisher looked in on the two, to find that Angelina had moved over to Harry's bed, her hand on his forehead, as if to ward off bad dreams.


End file.
